Most Important thing you Can Do for Your Business

The Most Important Thing Anyone Can Do For Their Business

Education for Photographers

It’s taken me a while to write this post, probably because it’s half admitting I struggle with this very thing. For us photographers, it’s what we call “slow season”.  The term pretty much explains itself.  It’s a season of time (the dead of winter) where there’s nothing much going on except our businesses are still up and running at full swing.  It’s when we’re not shooting, but most of us are still working just as much (if not more) on in the back of our businesses (website designs, promotional planning, blogging, special projects). We’re as busy as ever but there’s no shooting going on. In business, it’s well known that activity breeds activity and while we’re not shooting, it’s difficult to feel as if we’re moving forward.

During the winter is when most of our brides are shopping for a photographer.  So if we’re not posting new shoots, we fear they’re not seeing us.  Many photographers are looking at their calendars and seeing a slow year and some are seeing boosts.  But it’s easy to be fearful of the future year this time of year. It’s when, usually we worry – “will we have enough bookings to make it?”

It doesn’t matter if I have 25 weddings on the calendar or 3 when January hits, I’m always worried about the coming year.  Inquiries seem to come in waves.  Sometimes, I’ll have 7 in one day and then go a full week without one inquiry.  Until I get my goal number of weddings on the books, I’m uneasy.  It’s also easy  to feel a twinge of jealousy when other photographers post things like, “Just booked my 30th wedding for 2016!“. Part of you wants to hug them and part of you embarrassingly wonders “what am I doing wrong?”

A few years ago, it dawned on me that something was missing from my business. While I’m ashamed to admit it, I’m happy to say now that each year, God teaches me through this time how to depend on Him. He’s taught me lessons on jealousy, taught me about peace, taught me about taking my cares to Him, even things I feel are silly. I’ve learned that if I can trust Him with my life, I can also trust Him with my business. And that prayer is the most important thing anyone can do for their business, alongside seeking guidance and wisdom, such as through 1 on 1 life coaching.

Please remember, friends that you can pray about your business.  God cares about every aspect of our lives, and our business is important too.  We are called to cast our worries aside (something I truly struggle with daily) and depend on Him for the unknown. He has a plan for us and a plan for our business. Trusting in God to provide for our future is such a relief from worrying about each inquiry, or looking at our calendar and seeing “not enough.”  It is enough. And whether it’s a year full of hard lessons or a year full of bounty, let us rejoice.

And because every post is better with a pretty picture —

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